Life is what you make of it. Thinking brings us to the foot of the mountain; faith brings us to the top.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Look what a fruiting tree attracted

The Jurong Lake district isn't too far away from Malaysia and for birds it's a stone's throw away. Fig trees were fruiting in the area and any avian photographer knows that fruiting trees attract birds. A quick scan of one such tree yielded a male Koel hopping around in the tree greedily swallowing figs.

Suddenly two shadows flew above and into the same tree. Lucky me, a pair of Pied Imperial Pigeons have flown in to feed.

Why was I excited? It's because Pied Imperial Pigeons are rare, non-breeding visitors to Singapore. These birds reside in Malaysia. My previous sighting of these pigeons about a month back were captive stock in a walk-in aviary at the Jurong Bird Park.

Personal observation: Wild birds look healthier than captive birds. Though this pair was smaller, their feathers were in better condition. May be it's the varied diet and the ability to exercise their wings, this pair were sleeker.

It took a lot of patience waiting for the pair to finally come out into the open and on the lower branches to allow for some good photos.